Entries from August 2007 ↓

I nearly got swept away down the river rapids last weekend. It was scary yet strangely, I did not find it in me to panic. In fact, I was strangely calm as I struggled to stop myself from floating away with the river current. This is my story.

I went whitewater rafting over the weekend and it was, in a word, AWESOME!

I’m not usually the outdoorsy type, but I thought to make an exception this time when I received an invitation to go on a whitewater rafting trip. It was at Sg. Kampar in Perak and involved me getting up before the crack of dawn.

Aside: It just struck me why they call it the “crack of dawn”. While waiting for the bus to pick us up, I was watching the dark morning sky slowly lighten and without warning, it was light. Just like someone switched the lights on. If there was a sound, it would have sounded very much like a crack.

As I said previously, I did not know what to expect from my first time. Simple American told me to expect to get wet. SA, you don’t know how true your words rang. I got wet. Very very wet.

The experience started with us putting on our lifejackets and helmets. We were told to make sure our life jackets were buckled up tight. To demonstrate, the guide proceeded to tug on my straps, expelling all the air from my lungs. That is probably how it feels to wear a corset – you can’t breathe. Then, the helmet is jammed tight on your head. Nothing must be loose, we were told, because if you were to fall in the water, you’d be hauled up by your jacket.

Then, a briefing followed about what to do in the water if we were to fall in. There is a swimming position called the “Whitewater swimming position” which involves you lying flat on your back, with your legs together and knees bent. It’s a lot harder than it looks on land.

We were dunked into the icy cold river water and made to “whitewater swim” to our rubber dinghys where the rest of the guides were waiting. If you’ve ever tried to swim across a river current, you’d know just how hard that is to fight the river current.

After all the requisite briefings, a paddle was put into our hands, we were put into groups of 4 with a guide and the adventure began.

I’ve never paddled a boat (usually I sit back while others do the hard work ) but this time, I had to paddle - hard. The river current was very strong so paddling the dinghy was hard work. It did not help that one of the rowers on the other side was not pulling their weight, so our dinghy had a tendency to go in circles and our guide had a tough time keeping our course steady. After 2 days, my arms are still aching from the strain.

Riding the rapids was fun. Way better than riding a roller coaster and by now, everyone knows I’m an adrenalin junkie. So, when we were given the option of taking the “chicken run” or the “double dip”, guess which we went for? There were a few times when I came thisclose to being thrown out of the dinghy so when you are told to hold on, that’s exactly what you do - hold on … tight. The rapids were awesome. I got drenched at every rapid and at one or two, my vision was temporarily blurred by water splashed into my face.

During the calm stretches of the river, I was amazed at the scenery. There were mountains alongside with lush green trees. The river was fast and cold and for a city slicker who doesn’t get close to nature much, it was pretty cool.

Then, halfway through, we were deliberately tipped into the water in a mock capsize. Even though knowing it was deliberate, I could not help a moment of panic as we went over the side. The shock of the cold river water hitting you and sinking into the river can be scary but having a life jacket and being able to swim helped.

At the end, we were given the option to get into the water and “whitewater swim” across the little rapid to where the jetty was. This was where the problem started. I got into the water and turned on my back and was immediately swept away by the river, going over the rapids and the rocks.

However, I failed to turn over and swim to shore in time, and found myself being carried away further and faster. I could hear my sis and the other members of the group calling to me to swim, but I could not turn my body over as the river was too shallow. Then, I heard the guides shouting at me to stand up. Easier said than done! But I somehow managed to get myself into an upright position and lock my legs against the current rushing against my legs.

The rescue rope was thrown over to me, and I gripped it tightly to be towed back to shore. A little bit of drama to end an otherwise safe and fun trip.

For anyone going whitewater rafting, I have some tips:

• Pay attention to instructions. It might save your life as it did mine.
• Wear a bikini or 2 piece swimsuit under your clothes. It makes it easier to move around in and when you need the toilet.
• Don’t wear too loose fitting clothes. When your clothes balloon around you, it might obscure your vision.
• Wear sandals. Its easier to get a grip, and not as heavy as shoes, unless its those swanky shoes divers or beach people use, which are light and fit close to your feet.
• Pull your weight in the boat. Your team members and guide will thank you for not causing the boat to list and go round in circles. It will also be more fun.

I’m raring to go on my next whitewater rafting trip. Is anyone organizing one? I promise I won’t get swept away again.

I was at Carrefour at Mid Valley Megamall yesterday, when I saw a HUGE promotion for Nescafe refill packs. A 200g pack was going for RM13.69, according to the huge display.

Was it all that cheap? I wondered as I watched people pile their shopping trolleys with the packets of instant coffee. I resisted the urge to join them as I knew I was not all that wanting for coffee refills at that moment.

Turning round the next aisle, I came across the instant coffee section, and this met my eye.

Excuse me? The regular price is a full RM1.10 lower than the “Promotion” price!

I did not need the coffee but I was curious so I tried to hail a member of staff, but as Murphy would have it, no Carrefour staff were in sight. So, I did the next best thing. I took a packet over to the price checker to see how much the price would be when scanned.

So, what was the promotion price in the end? RM13.69 or RM12.59? Those who had had their purchases scanned at checkout would have been pleasently surprised at getting a “further discount”. They may not even have said anything because… well, we’re Malaysian and we don’t tell when we think we are getting a good deal right?

Either someone goofed up when setting up the promotion booth, or there’s something fishy in the state of Denmark.

I like The Sun newspaper because its free. I also like it because there is less propaganda in it compared to the other mainstream papers.

However, I suppose being a free newspaper has its drawbacks. For example, they may have problems with hiring their copywriters or proof-readers.

This is a picture of the Classifieds section of The Sun newspaper, taken with my crappy camera phone. Against a background of things you can advertise in the classifieds for, I suddenly spotted this, between “refrigerators” and “domestic help”:

Its not very clear, but the word is “FRIEDSHIP“. If you have any copy of The Sun paper lying near you, flip over to the first page of the Classifieds. I spotted this on Monday and its still here today (Wednesday) so I think its been around for a long time.

My English not very good. Can anyone explain what “friedship” is? The closest I could get was maybe goreng pisang (fried bananas).

So tell me: What is “friedship” to you and what would you advertise in the classifieds under this section?

Just when I thought the boat finally found its balance and was sailing merrily along, I had a crew member fall overboard. So, I’m presently shorthanded at work, which means that I’m busy. So, I apologise for the lack of updates.

I actually have a lot to say:

• Why the Port Klang Free Trade Zone fiasco as exposed by The Sun yesterday?
• Why am I turning off all merdeka (independence) day ads on television? For some reason, I feel nauseated when I watch them.
• Why do I feel that  50 years of independence have actually put us 50 years back in the past in terms of integration instead of bringing us forward into the future?
• Why do I feel that the Visit Malaysia Year 2007 is a major flop?
• Why do I think that the building of another LCCT (Low Cost Carrier Terminal) is a joke?
• Why is taking the local express bus more dangerous than flying?
• Why are our express bus drivers just grown up mat rempits (motorcycle hooligans) who speed along the roads and break the laws without caring for the safety of the passengers?
• Why is it so hard to find decent staff these days?

But I don’t have the time to say it. So, you are excused my rantings and ravings! yay!

With the latest brouhaha over the student in Taiwan and his interpretation of the National Anthem, so close to the upcoming 50th National Day celebrations, I got to wondering just how much respect anyone of the public really shows for the national anthem.

When we were at school, we were taught that when the national anthem played, you were to stand still as a mark of respect. Never mind that you might be crossing the school field under the hot  midday sun, you had to stop, stand still (get heatstroke in the process)  until it finished, then move on. Fortunately for us, our anthem is quite short.

Because of training at school, I would automatically stand still whenever I hear the national anthem being played. But what about times when you are sitting down? Would you stand up when you hear the anthem? Why I ask this is because the television stations have taken to playing the national anthem at all hours of the day. If there’s 3 minutes to kill between programmes, they might well play the national anthem. What do you do then? Do you stand up to respect the anthem? I don’t.

Here’s 2 scenarios in public where I have experienced the national anthem being played and no one bothered to stand up or take notice of it:

Scenario #1

At a mamak shop. The big screen television was tuned to a local channel and the national anthem blared out from the television. This was about 9pm. Not a single diner in the crowded place batted an eyelid. Everyone went on chatting, eating and generally ignoring the anthem. Needless to say, no one stood up unless it was to go to the toilet to to get more food. It could have been just another song on MTV for all anyone cared.

Scenario #2

I was at Merdeka Square, coming up the stairs from the carpark below the square. There was a National Day rehearsal going on, and the police band was practicing the anthem. In the presence of so many military personnel, I felt I’d better show some respect, so I stopped on the stairs. My head was just level with the ground, and to my surprise, most of the pedestrians were nonchalantly walking around, crossing the road, and generally behaving like nothing was amiss.

So, what is your reaction upon hearing the National Anthem being played?